When fuel prices go back up I think Americans will turn to smaller trucks and SUVs and smaller engines. There will be an uptick in Prius and hybrids when gas is up but I don't think cars will ever overtake trucks and SUVs again. I think American automakers are preparing for higher gas prices too, Ford has promised a Hybrid Escape, Hybrid Mustang, Hybrid Explorer, and Hybrid F-150. On the other hand as long as GM and Ford design and build small cars overseas, they could import them should customers shift back to cars.

Who says a fuel crisis will come? Demand is stagnating and new energy sources are on the rise. It might be that gas prices will remain low and might actually get lower. Today's market is extremely volatile and has never been harder to predict.

People are under the impression that this is still the 80's or 90's. ALL vehicles get much better mileage than they did then. Another fuel crisis would NOT result in a wholesale shift away from trucks or SUVs. There will be a few converts, but nothing major.

Who says a fuel crisis will come? Demand is stagnating and new energy sources are on the rise. It might be that gas prices will remain low and might actually get lower. Today's market is extremely volatile and has never been harder to predict.

I tend to agree. That fuel spike we had back in 2005 was a game changer.

For the first time the market really made it hard to sustain outrageously high fuel prices in America. Alternatives took off like rockets, hybrids sold like hot cakes, fracking hit prime time....

Bottom line is foreign oil producers don't have us by the balls anymore; America has options now.

Only if they could only ramp up production and quality. How many hundreds of thousands of pre-orders are they still behind on?

Tesla is producing 1,000 Model 3s per day now. They posted their first quarterly profits and have met their production goals. I know its easy to hate a brand, but at least stay current if you want to bash it.

What would happen to American car automakers and people if the next fuel crisis hit?? Run for prius and other hybrids??

I was wondering what would happen to the American car makers if a recession hit. They are so dependent on these cash cows that you can pretty much guarantee they'll be asking Congress for a rescue package should sales of big trucks take a dip.

Tesla is producing 1,000 Model 3s per day now. They posted their first quarterly profits and have met their production goals. I know its easy to hate a brand, but at least stay current if you want to bash it.

Yet they are still hundreds of thousands of pre-orders behind. Not hating the brand but just commenting on the fact that Tesla doesn't currently have the production capability to meet any higher demand.

Learn the difference between bashing and stating the obvious (as backed by your numbers) fact that Tesla simply can't handle any larger increase in sales at the moment. That being said a year from now they may be able to handle an increase. And of course they still need to VASTLY improve quality (even C&D bashed them for that in the Type R vs Veloster N Article).

But still haven't caught up and still don't have production capacity to meet an increase in demand at the moment.

Ya, if you are looking for a model that's produced at a rate of over 400,000 units a year; you are on the right page. Outside of big American trucks, there aren't to many models that could satisfy the number of orders Tesla is sitting on; at least not in one year.

As it stands Tesla is selling more Model 3 sedans than BMW is selling 3-Series sedans, by a massive margin and at much higher prices. Even so, it's not enough to keep up with demand.

Ya, if you are looking for a model that's produced at a rate of over 400,000 units a year; you are on the right page. Outside of big American trucks, there aren't to many models that could satisfy the number of orders Tesla is sitting on; at least not in one year.

As it stands Tesla is selling more Model 3 sedans than BMW is selling 3-Series sedans, by a massive margin and at much higher prices. Even so, it's not enough to keep up with demand.

Exactly, right now Tesla is rightly in a state of catching up to demand. Before increasing production (beyond getting the plant up to capacity and fully operational) they will need to make sure they get their quality up to par.

Once they've done both of the above they would definitely welcome a fuel crisis.

Tesla is producing 1,000 Model 3s per day now. They posted their first quarterly profits and have met their production goals. I know its easy to hate a brand, but at least stay current if you want to bash it.

They were profitable for one quarter but next year their massive debt service kicks in. The major auto maker are starting to build electric. The Jaguar IPace is the beginning of the end of Tesla niche. The major auto maker will produce better cheap electric cars in a few years and electric will be a limited market for the foreseeable future.

They were profitable for one quarter but next year their massive debt service kicks in. The major auto maker are starting to build electric. The Jaguar IPace is the beginning of the end of Tesla niche. The major auto maker will produce better cheap electric cars in a few years and electric will be a limited market for the foreseeable future.

You do know Tesla sells more cars in a day than the I-Pace sold in all of 2018.

It's true.... The I-Pace will be lucky to sell 1,000 units this year. The Model 3 alone sells that many units per day.

It's an incredible truck. I have rode in the 2018 and all can say is; I know why the guy traded his 2015 Range Rover Sport to get it.

He's not a truck guy at all; not even an American car guy. His vehicles are a big Benz SUV (GL I think?) and a classic Defender with a "forget the price" over-the-top restoration. Prior weekend car was a Bentley Cont GT convertible. Somehow, this truck converted him.

Wow, very impressive! Now I know why Ford decided not to make those tinny whinny profit margin "cars" anymore. $68K for a freaking 0-60 5.1 sec truck and people will likely to justify their purchase by saying " hey, it's safe for my family, and spacious...." But guess not so much for the poor guy next lane in the Accord or Fusion or whatever regular "cars" left on the road.....
Hm... Wonder what happened if gas price hit $4-$5+/gallon, is Ford or GM bring back the dead "cars"?

Wow, very impressive! Now I know why Ford decided not to make those tinny whinny profit margin "cars" anymore. $68K for a freaking 0-60 5.1 sec truck and people will likely to justify their purchase by saying " hey, it's safe for my family, and spacious...." But guess not so much for the poor guy next lane in the Accord or Fusion or whatever regular "cars" left on the road..... Hm... Wonder what happened if gas price hit $4-$5+/gallon, is Ford or GM bring back the dead "cars"?

Cry me a friggin river!

My lord the way people whine about what other people want to do with money is getting outrageous.

I know this is nit picky but would it kill Ford to add front parking sensors? Especially for the price. All of the new competitors offer it and speaking from plenty of experience, they would be a boon to have.

There is no question that modern vehicles are quicker. But with trucks, the speed governors have stayed the same. Even from a dead stop, you can't be on full throttle for ~15 seconds before running into a speed governor.

There is no question that modern vehicles are quicker. But with trucks, the speed governors have stayed the same. Even from a dead stop, you can't be on full throttle for ~15 seconds before running into a speed governor.

There is no question that modern vehicles are quicker. But with trucks, the speed governors have stayed the same. Even from a dead stop, you can't be on full throttle for ~15 seconds before running into a speed governor.

Of course they don't handle well, but the problem is the tires. The old SRT-10 was a brick, but it's tires were 305/40R22's that allowed it to go over 150. If Ford wanted to remove the gov and put on proper speed rated performance tires to make a Sport model (another SVT!!), i'd break 150 also.

$75k for a half ton pickup? The proverbial old timers are rolling in their graves. We'll see how this segment holds up when gas is $4+/gallon or when financiers realize that 84 month loans on a fast depreciating asset are, in fact, a terrible idea.

Seeing as petrol producers are keen on selling their product while it's still in demand, gas may never go substancially up ever again. It may sound crazy, but market laws are influenced by gizillion factors that few people can predict rather well.

Click-bait title on the homepage says "Regular F-150 now quicker than Raptor". Then the article page title is "F-150 Limited". Then we get a chance to see that the MSRP is $10k more than a Raptor. All sorts of bad editing leading to a anti-climactic "WTF" moment when you realize this 1/2 ton costs more than the down payment on my home.

Click-bait title on the homepage says "Regular F-150 now quicker than Raptor". Then the article page title is "F-150 Limited". Then we get a chance to see that the MSRP is $10k more than a Raptor. All sorts of bad editing leading to a anti-climactic "WTF" moment when you realize this 1/2 ton costs more than the down payment on my home.

I think most readers are smart enough to realize they're not trying to make you think the work truck is faster than the Raptor.

They're saying that the F-150 that's not built for desert running, with a wider track, etc., is faster than the truck Ford built with all of the aforementioned traits.

The RAM interior looks much more luxurious than that tired old dash design.

Certainly. Ford just can't get away from swaths of cheap, hard plastic all over their interiors. The only thing that gives me hope for future Fords is what Lincoln has done with the new Navigator and Aviator interiors. My wife and I test drove a 2018 Navigator Reserve and it was super-nice inside. Not German/Lexus-nice, but certainly the nicest American car interior I've ever been in.

Rivian is vaporware while Ford is selling 800K F-Series a year in the U.S.A. If Rivian ever sees more than token production you can show us SAE-certified tow ratings.

Same was said about Tesla. Now they are defeating luxury brands at their own game. GM, Ford, and Dodge are retreating to truck/suv lineups only. Very stupid. With one outbreak of war and higher gas prices, The Big 3 would be sitting on unsalable inventory. Diversification.

DOn't forget ford has teh 7.0l v8 on the horizon... should be interesting... I hope Ram and Ford bring back some street trucks, meanwhile at GM it will probably have a 2l 3 cylinder with quad turbos that will blow up the second you start the car

DOn't forget ford has teh 7.0l v8 on the horizon... should be interesting... I hope Ram and Ford bring back some street trucks, meanwhile at GM it will probably have a 2l 3 cylinder with quad turbos that will blow up the second you start the car

Gm currently has more v8's in their trucks than anyone... so I think that suggestion is silly. The boosted 2.7 is also likely better for truck duty than a small v6. Heavy cars and high revving v6 motors are a poor match in my opinion.

Unless you do a lot of towing or hauling, most families don't need anything nearly this huge that gets fuel economy in the teens. The station wagon or minivan still make more sense.

True. They still aren't the most practical vehicles for most applications, and I personally don't see myself buying one, but that doesn't detract from the fact they do most things pretty well nowadays. At least compared to just 15 years ago.

I rented a current generation F-150. I wasn't too impressed with it, though it was a base work truck with a 3.5 non-turbo engine. I liked the fuel economy, but it was a chore to drive around. It is just too big and wide for normal everyday use. It would be alright if you lived in the country with big roads and large parking spaces but any urban or suburban area is a pain. Additionally the steering was too vague with little on center feel and the engine too smooth with lazy responses. It felt like driving a 70s full-sized car. Unless I needed it for work purpose, I wouldn't think about buying one.

I was thinking something similar. When developing this engine, they must have had calculated power at certain weights of vehicles its be used in and adjusted accordingly. It has to be one of the top engines ever built...it is so diverse!

I was thinking something similar. When developing this engine, they must have had calculated power at certain weights of vehicles its be used in and adjusted accordingly. It has to be one of the top engines ever built...it is so diverse!

It's impressive. The F-150 is by all counts massive; but somehow that engine throws it down the road like it's nothing. I don't know about the "Eco" part; but it's got plenty of "Boost"

The limited top speed "feature" C/D notices for this vehicle is too common on all pickups. It emphasizes how today's 6-to-10 speed transmissions are nothing but fuel economy tools. Performance? Forget it. Put your foot in it from a stop and these modern trucks might get half way through their gears before their engines begin that aggravating speed limiter misfire signaling that the fun's over. I got rid of my short bed single cab V-8 powered F150 because of just that reason. Should'a been a hot rod but I could never get it above 95 mph. Buzzt, FAIL.

For the Lincoln buyer that really needs a truck. If it's me though, I'd take the 5.0 V8 over a turbo V6 anyday. It wont be near as quick, but it's a truck and I'm not trying to out run anyone. On that note, this F-150 would straight toast some unsuspecting rice burners with a fart-can exhaust.

For the Lincoln buyer that really needs a truck. If it's me though, I'd take the 5.0 V8 over a turbo V6 anyday. It wont be near as quick, but it's a truck and I'm not trying to out run anyone. On that note, this F-150 would straight toast some unsuspecting rice burners with a fart-can exhaust.

File under pointless cars. Only an idiot would blow money on this. Buy a used truck for work a Miata for fun. Pocket the change.

What if you want an upscale work truck that's also fast.. then your Miata and used truck seem pretty pointless. This is coming from somebody who's not a particular pickup truck person, but I get the appeal.

What if you want an upscale work truck that's also fast.. then your Miata and used truck seem pretty pointless. This is coming from somebody who's not a particular pickup truck person, but I get the appeal.

Yes I'm sure people buy $75K trucks for "work." Because the kind of work that necessitates a truck goes hand and hand with upscale.

And that 14 year-old truck can't do 1/10 of what this truck can do. So, you know, there's that.

Sigh.

You're missing the point. It's like saying that the 2018 Mustang GT is quicker than the 2004 Cobra; 14 years is a millennium, and it shouldn't be surprising that a run-of-the-mill version of a vehicle today does <insert performance metric here> better than a 14 year-old pony (version of same type vehicle) built to do only that trick.

You're missing the point. It's like saying that the 2018 Mustang GT is quicker than the 2004 Cobra; 14 years is a millennium, and it shouldn't be surprising that a run-of-the-mill version of a vehicle today does <insert performance metric here> better than a 14 year-old pony (version of same type vehicle) built to do only that trick.

This luxury truck is about as fast as the fastest sports trucks from 10 - 15 years ago. Regular hatches are as fast as hot hatches from 10 -15 years ago. And so on... It's called progress.

I'd agree, but its best-in-class braking performance, even on all season tires, says otherwise. It's all relative; A smaller, lighter truck would theoretically be capable of better, too. But here we are... It's quite impressive, really.

22" wheels on trucks and SUV's are like 19" wheels on sedans and hatchbacks...they look good in photos but in practice are absolutely awful. I'll never get anything over 18" on a sedan/small-midsize SUV again, and I'll never get anything larger than 20" on a large SUV or pickup.

case and point is my Camry. my SE with 18" wheels actually has a pretty good ride-handling balance. the XSE has 19" wheels and you can feel them immediately if you drive the SE and XSE back to back.